Wilson Blanchard plans apartments and retail for vacant Gore buildings
The buildings have sat empty since 2013, when there was outcry over their potential demolition
A downtown developer has unveiled plans for a critical row of historic buildings in the heart of Hamilton's downtown that have sat vacant for more than two years.
The company, Wilson Blanchard, is proposing to build Gore Park Apartments, a five-storey building with 14 units in the row of boarded-up buildings in the Gore, which run from 18 to 28 King St. E.
Architect David Premi and lawyer Tim Bullock, representing the developer, told city councillors on Wednesday that the plan includes maintaining the facades of 18 to 22 King St. E., and having more than 3,000 square feet of retail on the ground floor.
The remaining facades, and the back ends of the buildings, would be demolished.
There was community outcry in 2013 when Blanchard bought the buildings and obtained a pair of permits to demolish them.
It's the first formally presented plan for the buildings since then.
City councillors negotiated with Wilson Blanchard and pre-approved $1.1 million in development grants if the developer was willing to designate them as heritage.
During a dramatic city council meeting that December, the city moved to designate the buildings as heritage to prevent their demolition. Wilson Blanchard is appealing that.
City staff will come back to the general issues committee in a month with a report on the plan. The company hopes to apply for site plan approval as soon as possible, and to start work this year.
Jason Farr, the Ward 2 councillor who prompted the last-minute heritage designation attempt, says he feels the two sides have a workable plan that maintains the heritage feel of the Gore.
Bullock said the company still hasn't determined whether the units will be condos or rental units.